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I agree with you anything worth doing is worth doing right! If you don't take the time to do it right the first time you never will.. besides I'd rather do it in the shop and not broke down on the road..

He is my girl doing her morning exercise.. Why weld overhead when you don't have too.. Just flip it over and roll the deck back in the shop on a dolly. (Old trailer house axle-LR of screen)

There's a tad over 4,000 on her (it's the deck for my 42' GN)

Hey there PNG. I like your lady friend. Every Fabricator needs a girl like that. Just like any lady you got to treat them right.. You have a winner there.. Bob

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She is a working fool all she expects is some clean #2 and Hot Bath after we unload the trailer full of oil soaked pipe...

A forklift is one of those things you start out thinking you can't afford, then you get one and tell yourself you can't afford not to have one..

I'm at the same crossroads on a CNC plasma table now.. The time they save is tremendous..it's the 32K in today's oilfield economy that makes me scratch my head..

Yes Amen!! I was looking at the Plasma Cams still runs by a PC. but a lot cheaper. I like the Samson model it still uses the Plasma Cam soft ware, but it has a bigger table..Well PNG. by looking at your photo, it looks like you got your self a good operation. And I wish you the best, and the wisdom to make good quality decisions.. Take Care... Bob

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That is outstanding. It takes alot of patience to take on a big project like that forklift and do a good job.. I have done a fair amout of machinest work. Sometimes welding and machinest work go hand in hand. Congradulation on a real fine job.

Thank you sir. You must do similar things to this because you seem to know what goes into it to get it done. Your also right about the machining and welding work. With out it I couldn't have pulled this project off. I've also got to give Miller a bit of credit for this because every bit of my welding gear is made by Miller. It's never let me down at my work or even my weird projects that I take on. It's nice to know that the tooling your relying on to make a living will work when you need it. Appreciate you comments. Thanks!

I agree with you anything worth doing is worth doing right! If you don't take the time to do it right the first time you never will.. besides I'd rather do it in the shop and not broke down on the road..

He is my girl doing her morning exercise.. Why weld overhead when you don't have too.. Just flip it over and roll the deck back in the shop on a dolly. (Old trailer house axle-LR of screen)

There's a tad over 4,000 on her (it's the deck for my 42' GN)

Hey Steve. How would you ever do it with out that beast? That's a heavy lift but no problem for that forklift. Great photo. Mine came in handy last week when my new bender showed up. No way of getting a 3300 lbs unit off the back of a truck with out it. I'm enjoying the thing more and more each day.Thanks, Paul

And I'm very happy that you did sir. Appreciate you doing so. I've added some safety items to the lift this past week. I installed a new seat belt, First Aid Kit and warning decals to the thing. We all need to keep safety in mine at all times. Thanks

Thank you! I tried to do it as good as I could. It was a tough job at times but you only get out of something what you put into it. Seems there's a lot of interest in the old lift. A journalist down in Australia contacted me last week to do a story on the lift. The story is out. I attached a link to it but I think you may have to sign up to read it so I copied and paisted the story for you to view it. It's basically the way it all happened. Thanks again everyone. Paul

A former General Motors dealership technician with a penchant for restoring vintage items has almost single-handedly restored a 1985 Toyota forklift.

Paul Short ,who started automotive repair business Specialty Repairs in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, Canada with his wife Kathy 14 years ago, tells Forkliftaction.com News the couple “didn’t think they’d end up doing some of the things they are doing today”.

Besides repairing cars, Short and his wife were asked by their customers to do machining and welding work. Before long, they had accumulated all types of specialty tools.

“Our regular day consists of vehicle repairs, welding and machining but after a little while, I decided to start restoring some unique items I would find around the local area,” Short says.

“We built a special 1,000 sqft (93 sqm) building just to display all the stuff and all our customers enjoy viewing it all when they drop by for a visit,” Short says.

The couple soon discovered that they needed help moving disabled vehicles and other heavy items that were brought in for welding.

“Living in Newfoundland and being on an island, we don’t get a lot of choices when it comes to buying used machinery but eventually I found a Toyota forklift.

“It was a rough-terrain machine and that’s just what I needed.

“[However] it had spent the last 20-plus years working at a local fish plant and was very rusty. It looked terrible and needed a lot of work,” Short explains.

Short says he just wanted to make the 1985 model “look better” but when he bought it for CAD2,000 (USD1,885), his regular customers who saw it would say “I bet you’re going to do something really cool to that machine”.

“Well, for me, that meant I had better not disappoint them and restore it as good as I can,” Short adds.

The project took on a personal meaning for Short when Kathy located the forklift’s serial number on its frame and discovered that the forklift was one month and two days older than his youngest son Daniel.

Kathy’s role in the project was “the most important one”, Short says. Before restoration work could begin, Kathy did “all the searching for parts, manuals and even researched the forklift itself”.

“We had trouble finding the serial number on the lift and after many hours of research she located the area on the lift in which to find it. Without the serial number, we would have come to a dead end before we even started,” Short says.

Short started restoring the Toyota by removing all the parts to be rebuilt or replaced. He used high-pressure water to remove the old coat of paint and a self-built, big sand-blaster to cut through the rust. He ordered new mast bearings and new cylinder kits. Some of the hydraulic cylinders were sent for re-chroming.

As the original Toyota engine hood was too expensive to replace, Short fabricated a new engine hood and rebuilt the motor by replacing all the gaskets, oil pan, bearings, rings and valve stem seals. With the transmission, he replaced the filter and fluid. He rebuilt all the brake lines and replaced all the hand brake cables and the ratchet.

Short then installed new tyres, and primed and painted the forklift. Due to the machine’s weight, all the work was carried outside his shop. Before winter arrived, he used his new Kubota tractor to push the not-yet-running forklift into his shop.

While it was indoors, Short fabricated a sun visor, a rear light bar and a custom storage box for the forklift out of checkered plated aluminium. “I even placed checkered plate around the frame and it was really starting to take on a new look.” Short says.

He then replaced the steering wheel with a custom wheel and redid all the wiring on the forklift. After that, he added special lights with guards that he had fabricated and air horns, and installed new dash gauges with LED lighting.

To complete the forklift, Short removed its worn-out charging system with its outdated external voltage regulator, and installed a new GM alternator with a built-in voltage regulator. He also custom built new mounting brackets.

The 1985 Toyota forklift is completely restored with some customised features like checkered plate aluminium storage box and sun visor.
“After that was done, I had the motor up and running and it was sounding sweet, especially since I removed the old exhaust system and custom mounted two chrome exhaust stacks in the rear of the lift,” Short says.

Short says he accomplished all this with an investment of CAD4,500 (USD4,150) in parts and materials and during his spare time over four months. The forklift is now used on a daily basis.

Short adds that he learnt from his experience that “if you’re going to restore a forklift, it would be much better to have another forklift help with the lifting”.

“By the time I purchased our new Kubota, the heavy parts of the restoration was completed,” he says.

But the hard work has paid off. “I am very pleased with the outcome. I have a machine that complements our business and is practical to own. The old forklift actually looks like a new one. Customers love seeing it and some even took photos of it,” Short says.

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I am very Thankful that you choose to share with us all of your custom creations and restoration projects. Your Craftsmanship and attention to detail speak volumes, and shows all of us that you are a truly remarkable individual.

I have worked with many Newfoundlanders over the years, and like them, I can hear that same Pride echo in your words.

Newfoundland Pride is a truly special quality... Love of Life, Love of the Island, and Love of the Sea.

It cannot be bought.... It cannot be taught....It is passed on Father to Son, and Mother to Daughter. It is a part of your folk lore and your culture.

I have always admired you Newfoundlanders for that.

That strong sense of Pride is the same with all that I have met from the Maritime Provinces. The ones that are here, are trying to make a living, but almost all, to a man, look forward to the day when they can go "Home"

From what I have seen and read on these forums, you represent yourself, your province, and Canada very well. You seem to exemplify the best of what it means to be a Canadian, and it is very fitting that your work be admired abroad.

I am glad that you were featured in the Australian paper. You and your wife deserve all the accolades that you receive.

Hopefully our next generation of tradespeople will come across your work, and they will begin to imagine what is possible through hard work, determination, and the unwillingness to accept anthing less than their personal best.

Thank you Paul for all you do for these forums.

Later,
Jason

Professional Spark Generator by Trade.

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Jason my friend. You'll never know just how much your post mean to me and to all Newfoundlanders. As one person read it your post yesterday he commented to me that it was a very well thought out process you went through to put it into words. It's very obvious that you've had a lot of experience working with the boys from the rock and I can bet my bottom dollar they all enjoyed working with you as well. I truly appreciate your kind words. I've seen your work which is second to none so that makes it extra special for me.

As for the forklift. Well it was just another one of those projects that kind of got away from me but that's the way most of these projects go it seems. If you ever find yourself on the rock you'll have to let me know your on the way and I'll make sure you get to see the place. Thank you so much sir for your comments. They made my day. Stay safe. Paul